Oklahoma provides a victory to reproductive rights advocates

On Monday common sense rang true. The Supreme Court rejected without comment a bid by Personhood Oklahoma to place an initiative on the Oklahoma ballot that would grant personhood to fertilized human eggs. One more blow to these idiots. You have to wonder if these people think fertilized human eggs can vote. Women (or incubators as these people like to think of us as) can vote, and vote at a higher rate than our male counterparts. But back to the point, brought to you by Jessica Mason Pieklo and RH Reality Check…

In April, the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the measure (forcefully and unanimously) that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to expand the definition of person to include fertilized eggs, granting fertilized eggs full and equal protection under law. Just a note, according to Justice Scalia women’s aren’t equal under the law, nor are gays. People of color make it in though because they have an amendment explicitly stating such. Oklahoma wanted to make give a fertilized egg more protections under law than the woman carrying it, at least based on Supreme Court Justice Scalia’s interpretation of the Constitution. The Supreme Court called the measure “clearly unconstitutional” and the state’s high court called the proposal “void on its face” and demanded it stricken from the November ballot. 

Personhood Oklahoma appealed the order to the US Supreme Court arguing that the Oklahoma Supreme Court was wrong to block the initiative which amounted to a violation of free speech. Weak argument, bro. You have to do this the way people have generally suppressed the rights of others, claim it is in women’s best interests to protect us from ourselves, see preventing women from voting, slavery (the 3/5 rule), preventing people of color from voting. There is a time tested method here. The supporters claim they were on the cusp of getting enough signatures to have the initiative on the ballot when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled. Naturally, the wing-nuts thing the voters should have had a chance to vote on the measure. 

The US Supreme Court rejected Personhood Oklahoma’s appeal, clearly not interested in second-guessing the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s judgment. While the US Supreme Court didn’t say it, by refusing to consider the issue this is perceived as a win for reproductive rights advocates. The case is Personhood Oklahoma v. Barber et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-145.